Apple forces 18+ rating on dating and AI companion apps

The latest:

Any iPhone app offering dating features or a virtual companion that engages users in sexual or romantic content will carry a minimum age rating of 18+, under changes Apple published on its developer site. Two new content descriptors enter the App Store Connect age-rating questionnaire on November 16, 2026, and every app must have them completed by January 12, 2027.

Details:

• The new descriptors: Apple said App Store Connect will add two items to the age-rating questionnaire. The first, Shared Location, covers sharing of real-world location with another person or group. The second, Dating and Relationships, covers features enabling dating or relationship connections between real people and/or a virtual companion.
• The trigger: According to Apple, the declaration is required when submitting an app update or making changes to the age rating questionnaire. The company did not describe an intermediate step for apps that file no update before the January 12, 2027 deadline.
• The rating impact: Apple stated that apps including Dating and Relationships receive a minimum age rating of 18+. For Shared Location, the company said the descriptor may not have an impact on an app’s minimum age rating in some regions, without naming those regions or specifying the effect.
• Wording matters: Apple’s post does not use the phrase AI companion anywhere. The definition reaches virtual companions only where the app engages a user in sexual or romantic content, leaving the descriptor broader than chatbots and narrower than all conversational AI.
• Brazil carve-out: Apple said local Brazilian regulations impose an A16 classification for Shared Location and A18 for Dating and Relationships. Developers who believe their app merits a lower rating can request an official classification from Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
• How that works: Apple cited location sharing designed for parents and children as an example of an app that might qualify for a lower Brazilian rating. Once verified, the official MJSP classification is displayed on the App Store in Brazil.
• Who gets hit: TechCrunch reported on November 3 that Character.AI, Replika and xAI’s companions, which allow users to unlock NSFW content, are among the apps likely affected by the new requirement.
• The scale: TechCrunch reported that leading AI companion apps across the App Store and Google Play had been downloaded roughly 220 million times globally as of summer 2025, indicating the size of the audience now subject to an adult-only gate on Apple’s store.
• The sequence: TechCrunch noted the change follows Apple’s global rollout of its age verification technology, new parental control tools and additional child safety features. The outlet did not identify specific App Store Review Guidelines clauses tied to the new descriptors.

Between the lines:

Apple built the enforcement mechanism before the rule: age verification shipped globally first, and the 18+ floor arrives after it. The Brazil appeal route shows Apple expects disputes over apps caught by the wording rather than the intent, since location sharing between a parent and child triggers the same descriptor as a dating feature.

What’s next

Watch November 16 for the descriptors going live in App Store Connect, and January 12, 2027, the completion deadline for all apps. Also watch whether Character.AI, Replika or xAI adjust features rather than accept an 18+ rating.